This month we talk with Walter Pranke, vice president, human resources at Lee Valley Tools, a national chain of tool and gift stores headquartered in Ottawa.

Hiring—and keeping—good people is proving to be a difficult process as we emerge from the lockdowns of COVID. “How do we get our employees back on track? How do we support them post-COVID?” asks Walter Pranke, who oversees HR for Lee Valley Tools. He says mentoring can support this process.

For smaller retail operations, the practice of shadowing a new hire right in the aisles can serve a similar purpose.

As government subsidies for workers decrease or end altogether after the summer, he expects hiring efforts to get a little easier. But hiring is only the first step. Retention, especially of star employees, is a longer-term challenge for any business. Mentoring, says Pranke, can play an important role in this. “It can contribute to strengthening the company’s culture. A good mentor can really serve as the link between an organization’s needs and the individual’s needs.”

With the guidance early on that a mentor can provide, an employee’s level of engagement increases. “From there one could expect to see an increase in effort and productivity with employees often willing to do more with discretionary effort for the company,” he says. “That enhances the entire organization.”

So just what is a mentor? Pranke says a mentor acts as an advocate for the employee long-term. In that role, a more seasoned staffer can provide wisdom and insights into the new person’s role that would not necessarily have been part of their formal education.

He recommends putting a formal process in place to assign mentors. A good mentor, he notes, should have strong communication skills, be a motivating influence, and a thought leader. They need to be unbiased and reflect the company’s culture and values.

For sales staff in a store, the practice of “shadowing” is popular for helping new hires get the hang of the store’s systems and products. This process can likewise use the best practices of a more formal mentoring role to make it worthwhile. Assigning a “buddy” on the sales floor provides an opportunity for a new hire to get acquainted with the store and fellow workers more quickly. “That’s the start of a mentoring relationship,” Pranke says.

By Kiljon Shukullari, advisory team lead for the HR Advice group at Peninsula Canada. He has his Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation and specializes in employment relations, talent management, recruitment, and process and program optimization.

While having a remote work policy is not required by provincial employment standards legislation across Canada, employers are advised to create one if they have staff working from home.

Working from home can prove challenging for some employees as the lines between work and personal lives are more blurred. Remote work policies provide clarity and act as a guideline for workers. In their policies, employers can set out expectations for work hours, when employees should be taking breaks, how fast they are expected to respond to communications, as well as realistic expectations and goals for work performance.

Clearly communicating rules for remote work can prevent time theft, presenteeism and loss of productivity. Remote work policies can also give instructions to staff on how they can seek support if they need accommodation, are struggling with mental health, or have any other kind of concern about their remote work arrangement.

Peninsula is an HR and Health & Safety consulting firm serving over 80,000 small businesses worldwide, including dealers in home improvement. Clients are supported with ongoing updates to their workplace documentation and policies as legislation changes. Additionally, clients benefit from 24/7 employer HR advice and are protected by legal insurance.

While other industries have struggled throughout COVID, the home improvement industry has been excelling. Lowe’s Canada’s hiring spree is proof of this. Starting this spring, it hired 7,000 staff for its network of Lowe’s, RONA, and Réno-Dépôt corporate stores across the country.

Through the early spring, it held a series of national events, which were online only. Its regional events used a hybrid format, giving job seekers the option to complete their first interview either online or in person.

Staffing for stores is not the only challenge. In recent weeks, the company has had to fill about 80 positions at its Boucherville, Que., head office. Last month, it hosted a one-day hiring event to fill about 100 seasonal and permanent positions at its distribution centre there. Positions ranged from order pickers, shipping clerks, and maintenance workers to supply and management roles. During the peak season, workers at the DC load an average of 500 trucks per week for deliveries to its stores.

Staff motivation can be tough during a pandemic. Like many businesses, Lowe’s Canada had to figure out a way to keep staff motivated during tough times. “We kind of had to adapt overnight to a brand-new reality and, you know, adjust the way that we’re doing things on different levels,” said Nadine Chiasson, director of talent acquisition for Lowe’s Canada.

Lowe’s introduced a temporary $2 wage premium for eligible associates due to the pandemic. They also introduced emergency paid leave and invested nearly $1 million in pandemic support. One initiative included $1,000 for each of Lowe’s Canada’s corporate stores to construct a food pantry for staff.

Vaccines are a reality now. More and more people are getting them, at least the first dose. This will go a long way to increasing herd immunity and helping us open up and return to some form of normalcy. As the world gradually advances against the pandemic, a major consideration will be when, and if, to have your staff return to work in an office setting.

Having seen the value of work at home, many companies are trying to figure out a formula for a hybrid scenario. That means figuring out how and when it will be most beneficial to bring teams together in a physical setting and, likewise, which conditions will accommodate continuing to work from home.

In the meantime, the need for making the most of the home office environment is a matter of both best business practices and optimal well-being for the individual. A focused, balanced workplace will help your workers get the most out of their work-at-home situation. It will help ensure your team is working as effectively as possible.

While working out the next steps of how and where your teams will work, here are half a dozen best practices you can share with staff to optimize working from home:

• Make sure the office space is separate from your home reality. This may have been a given when first setting up at home, but work has a way of expanding into different corners of your world. Review the setup and tighten up the boundaries between work life and home life.
• Set up the office area near a window. By being in the sunshine, workers are better able to plug into their natural circadian rhythms. This will help them sleep better at night.
• As the weather warms, remind your team to open a window. Fresh air helps with focus and overall well-being.
• Try adding plants. Studies have shown they help decrease stress, while helping increase productivity and memory retention.
• Ditch those track pants. Time to dress for success. Meet the day with clean clothes that help put one’s best business foot forward. It also helps with focus and productivity.
• Don’t forget the importance of taking breaks. Invite your team to set an alarm on their phones for a break mid-morning and again in the afternoon, to get out of the home office and move around. This could even become a challenge the entire team can share.

This month we talk with Martina Pileggi, director of human resources for the Hillman Group Canada, a fastener producer for the hardware, automotive, plumbing, and electrical markets.

Martina Pileggi is a big believer in corporate values. Not just establishing them, but sharing them as well. As a human resources professional with over 15 years of experience in various industries that include pharmaceuticals, food and grocery, and most recently hardware, she knows the importance of maintaining awareness of what a company stands for. Those values, she says, have to be communicated on an ongoing basis.

Pileggi walks the walk. In 2019, she was on an airplane upwards of twice a month to meet with the various divisions of Hillman, which has seven facilities across Canada. During the pandemic, of course, all that has come to a halt.

But the commitment of her and her HR team to maintain and promote the company’s corporate values to the Hillman workforce (it employs 900 in Canada) is undiminished. “It’s a challenge,” she admits. “It was a challenge pre-pandemic and it will be a challenge post-pandemic.”Nowadays it’s an even greater challenge. But she has strategies for keeping the values of the company and the sense that workers are embraced by those values in the forefront.

Instead of being physically onsite at various workplaces, she has devised other ways to connect virtually. “You need to be present in your home location, as well as being seen travelling to all parts of the company.” Now she does a lot of stand-up meetings, or town halls, at Hillman’s head offices in Toronto. “We came up with a structure that could connect with every single person.” These monthly events, which cover everything from safety to the performance of the company under COVID, are broadcast to the entire workforce county-wide.

“The job of HR is often hard to quantify,” says Pileggi. “What’s really important is making sure the corporate vision is shared. People must understand and comprehend what we’re doing. We do that by being present.”

That, she says, means calling instead of emailing, making sure people understand and feel they are appreciated and supported. During challenges such as the current pandemic, these tools help her and her team stay connected across the company. “That’s how you cascade the culture.”

By Puneet Tiwari, legal counsel and legal claims manager at Peninsula Canada. He has also practiced as an employee-side employment lawyer for several years while also running his own small business.

Some employers may want to know their workers’ vaccination status in order to make health and safety decisions in the workplace or to confirm employees’ entitlement to vaccination leave. However, employers must be careful about what they ask and how they handle this information.

Workers have a right to privacy and vaccination status is considered personal medical information. Every province has its own rules on what employers can ask when it comes to vaccination. In most cases, asking for a medical certificate proving the employee was vaccinated is not allowed because this information is personal and private.

As an alternative, employers can ask employees for a confirmation of a vaccination appointment. This way they can be sure that the leave is not being abused without requiring any personal medical information from their workers.

Additionally, employers can ask employees to disclose if they got vaccinated but only if they want to, on an optional basis. Any personal medical information collected by the employer should be obtained with consent and kept confidential. Employers may not share their workers’ vaccination status with third parties and should keep access to this information limited only to those who must know.

Peninsula is an HR and Health & Safety consulting firm serving over 80,000 small businesses worldwide, including dealers in home improvement. Clients are supported with 24/7 employment advice, updates to legislation changes, HR software, and legal insurance.

One of human resources’ primary roles is to manage and conduct hiring for a company. Finding the right talent can be an expensive process. For one dealer, relying on students—who would often return as they worked their way through school—has become a tough proposition.

“We’re not just surviving in terms of business, we’re thriving. It’s booming along and has been for the last year,” says Don Dyck, president of Kingdon Lumber, a TIMBER MART dealer in Peterborough, Ont. “The struggle then is to find the right people. In the midst of all of this, how do you go about doing that?”

The pandemic has changed the way companies have to conduct hiring. Most face-to-face interactions have either been reduced or eliminated. It’s been a bit easier after going online, but the company still faces a few more challenges. Due to the nature of the industry, its manufacturing side sees a lot of seasonal staff.

The company used to hire students from high schools and the nearby university. It would work out perfectly due to their schedules lining up with the manufacturing needs and many of the students would return the next season. But fewer and fewer students are applying for work, either because the demographic of the students is changing or they’re just finding work elsewhere.

Now the company hires seasonal workers who are later in their careers and are interested in only working for a part of the year.

Tanja Fratangeli is head of people and culture for IKEA Canada. In a recent virtual HR conference hosted by the Retail Council of Canada, she talked about the importance of strong values within a company. These values can guide business decisions and motivate employees to work in harmony. And they can provide tools for managers to communicate more effectively with their teams.

Fratangeli noted that “our success goes beyond our sales. It’s our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people. That’s what we keep at the centre of all our decision-making. Our culture, our values, and our purpose are what continue to unite us in all of our decisions.”

Those common values, when clearly expressed and reinforced, can strengthen a team, no matter how diverse. “We have that common set of values that is always at the heart of any of our decisions,” she said.

If your company has more than one location, whether it’s multiple stores or distribution centres, maintaining that consistent culture of values may seem daunting, but Fratangeli says IKEA maintains it across its range of stores internationally. “What makes it unique is that it doesn’t matter where you go, whether you visit virtually or in person, you get that same feeling … I think that’s what grounds us.”

During the time of COVID, IKEA focused on supporting both the physical and mental well-being of its employees. That included more leadership training for managers, such as mental health first aid training through a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association. That didn’t mean, she said, turning managers into “therapists” for their staff. The training was aimed at offering tools to help leaders know how to provide support and have meaningful conversations with workers who needed that.

This month we talk with Zaida Fazlic, director, people and culture at Taiga Building Products, the national building materials wholesaler. This will be the first in an occasional series with her on the topic of leadership.

When asked what makes a good leader, Zaida Fazlic doesn’t hesitate to point out some clear fundamentals.

“Who you are as a leader is who you are as a person. That’s one of the key things.”

Leadership is not simply management. That, she says, is just maintenance. “Leadership is about having a vision of the future and articulating it in a certain way to get people to buy into it.”

Good leaders have to be change agents, visionaries. But it hardly stops there. “You have to have the competencies.” That means building on one’s passion and vision to set goals, communicate those goals effectively, and identify the strengths within your team to know whom to rely upon to execute those goals.

Fazlic says the nature of leadership has changed over the past decades. Where once it was mainly tactical and managed through delegation and performance measurement, these days it’s much more holistic. “It is a great responsibility and a privilege because of the trajectory you take people on. Just think about it: how it can affect their career and their personal life is based on the decisions you make and the future that you lead them into.”

Good leaders build positive work environments that energize the team. They know how to bring out the best in their people by providing them with coaching, training, and support to do their jobs well. Good leadership is about character, integrity, and trustworthiness.

“Developing all these critical leadership and interpersonal skills does translate into better performance for the team and the company,” she adds, “because leaders are ultimately the ones responsible for building effective and productive teams that support each other and help each other get the work done in a sustainable way.”

By Andrew Caldwell, HR advisory team lead at Peninsula Canada. A Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), he specializes in employment relations, employment standards, recruitment, and employee engagement. 

When it comes to deciding whether to hire a worker full-time or on a contract, there are pros and cons to both work arrangements. A contract worker will generally be more expensive to employ and have more diverse experience from having worked for many employers within a shorter time frame. For this reason, they may be more innovative and be able to give insight into the industry and what your competitors are doing. By hiring contract workers only when they are needed, businesses can also save on the expenses and administrative work of maintaining full-time staff and providing benefits.

On the other hand, contract workers do not have the same loyalty to their employers as full-time workers. If your competitors offer better pay, you may find yourself looking for new talent regularly. If you are consistently hiring contract workers for the same jobs, it is worth considering employing full-time staff.

While full-time workers require a greater investment in training and time, they will get to know the way your business operates and are likely to work more efficiently in the long run. Your business will enjoy greater stability and develop a workplace culture. Having in-house staff also makes it easier to manage workloads and ensure confidential information is kept secure.

Peninsula is an HR and health and safety consulting firm serving over 80,000 small businesses worldwide, including dealers in home improvement. Clients are supported with 24/7 employment advice, updates to legislation changes, HR software, and legal insurance.